


What Makes a Hero

by IvyCpher



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders Angst, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders Needs a Hug, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Episode: Putting Others First - Selfishness v. Selflessness Redux | Sanders Sides
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:14:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24935110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvyCpher/pseuds/IvyCpher
Summary: Virgil comforts Roman after the events of SvS Redux.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders
Comments: 13
Kudos: 130





	What Makes a Hero

Despite the fact that Virgil hadn’t been around when  _ everything _ happened and that absolutely no one would talk about what happened, he did pick up a few things. The biggest thing that Virgil understood was that Janus had been accepted, and as much as that pissed him off, he knew that he couldn’t let that distract him. There was something more important than Janus, and that thing was Roman.

Roman… Hadn't been acting like himself since that day. He hardly came out at meal times, he was no longer blasting musical soundtracks so loud that they could be heard all throughout the mind palace, he had just stopped being himself. And that worried Virgil.

Virgil was used to his own off days and knew that sometimes a person just needed to be left alone for a while for them to cool off, so that's what he did. For nearly a week he pretended not to notice how odd his boyfriend was acting… but then after nothing changed, Virgil couldn't let himself sit idly by anymore. Roman was still acting weird. He had become a recluse in his room and it felt like he was distancing himself from Virgil… He never wanted to hang out anymore and he seemed sick of any affection.

All of that was enough to worry Virgil easy enough, but he knew he couldn't just force Roman to tell him what was wrong without having at least a bigger idea about what had happened to make Roman act like he was. So before Virgil even thought of going to Roman's room, he went to go see Patton.

Virgil stood outside of Patton's door, nervous but determined. He sighed as he raised his hand to the door and knocked. It didn't take but a minute for Patton to answer. "Oh, hey, kiddo!" He said, smiling. "Do you need something?"

Patton was the only person that Virgil tried not to be forceful with, he knew the poor guy would probably start bawling if he even looked angry in his direction. But right then, Virgil couldn't help how his emotions spilled into his words. He wanted to know what had happened and he wanted to make Roman feel better again. "Pat, I need you to tell me what happened the other day." He said quickly. "No one is talking about it and I  _ know  _ you noticed it, but Roman is real beat up about something. And I know it has to do with whatever happened the other day."

The smile immediately fell from Patton's face and he swallowed. "Well.. Um…" He looked down and exhaled before stepping back, further into his room. "It's never good to linger in doorways and… what happened is kinda a long story. Will you come in, Virgil?"

Virgil wanted to say no, that he would quite prefer to stand there and listen to the whole story. That there was no point in getting comfortable when Roman was feeling like shit. But he didn't. He crossed his arms over his chest and stepped into the room without a word.

"Do.. Do you want to sit down?" Asked Patton slowly. When Virgil only shook his head, he sighed and sat down.

It was then that Virgil finally got the full story. It made him mad to hear what Patton had to say, so mad that he wanted to scream at him and not let him finish what he was saying. But Virgil didn't do that. He just stood there and listened. He listened to how Patton made Thomas think that he was a horrible person. He listened to how Patton had insisted that Thomas couldn't care of himself in favour of taking care of other people. He listened to how Patton accepted Janus  _ just _ because he shared his name. He listened to how Patton sided with Janus and let him hurt Roman.  _ He listened. _

Virgil listened, and then as soon as Patton finished, he left without a word. He was fuming. He couldn't believe that such a big thing happened and everyone was just going to sit around and not tell him. He couldn't believe that Roman was hurting for so long and no one that knew about  _ why  _ he was in pain even attempted to help him. He couldn't believe that he was mad at Patton. The only side that he had never had a major issue with… was the one who's smile he wanted to shove his fist through.

His mind was angry and buzzing and swarming with the idea of just turning back around and screaming at Patton until he cried. Virgil stopped in the middle of the hallway and breathed deeply. He knew he couldn't go comfort Roman in that state of mind, he just couldn't. He needed to cool down a bit, he needed to  _ process things. _

So instead of going to Roman's room like he so badly wanted to do, Virgil pulled up his hood and turned around in the hall to head to his own room. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the floor as he walked as quickly as he could to his room. Once inside he stripped off his hoodie and threw it on his bed. His anger at Patton having become an actual and unbearable heat inside him. It burned at his skin and made him feel like he wasn't in control.

_ "But I am in control,"  _ Virgil gasped, sitting on the edge of his bed and burying his fingers into his hair. "And I'm going to make Roman feel better. Even- even if no one else cares about him, _ I  _ still do." Then he fell back on his bed and just laid there. Goosebumps rose on his skin from how cold his blankets were but he still felt overheated.

Things were changing and he didn't like it. He didn't trust Janus and now- he wasn't so certain if he could trust Patton either.

Virgil laid in his bed for some time, trying to calm down. After a while, his thoughts came less rapidly and his heart began beating normally. All the heat from his skin had seeped into the previously cold blankets, which were then disgustingly warm to the touch. Then without even thinking, he pushed himself up. Blood rushed to his head and made him wince. Virgil gave himself a moment before standing up.

Even though Virgil felt better, or at least better enough to talk to Roman, he still felt odd about seeing him empty handed. Virgil wanted to give Roman something that would help him feel better, something that would help him break the ice into what he  _ knew  _ was going to be an emotional conversation. He looked around his room for inspiration, but amidst his band posters and Funko Pops there was none.

And then something clicked in Virgil's mind. He knew what to make Roman. He would make him something to poke a hole in every part of Janus' insult. With a new and almost excited energy, Virgil got to his knees beside his bed and pulled out a hidden rolling container full of paper, markers, crayons, and other art supplies. The container and everything inside it had been a gift from Roman so that he could craft whenever he was beginning to feel anxious and so that he and Roman could make things together.

Now Virgil was going to use the gift that Roman had gotten him to make him feel better. He pulled off the lid and tossed it to the other side of the room.

It was there, on the floor, where Virgil got to work. He grabbed a few sheets of yellow construction paper and a pair of scissors and started on his gift for Roman.

Though it took Virgil a while, a far bit longer than he had assumed it would take to make Roman's gift, he finished it in just a little under an hour. Paper scraps littered his floor and there were even some sticking to his shirt. But his creation, a paper crown, was finished and that was all that mattered. Virgil could finally go see Roman.

He stood up from the floor, crown in hand, and sunk out. Virgil was so eager to comfort his boyfriend, that he didn't even notice that he had left without his hoodie, which was still laying on his bed.

When Virgil popped up in front of Roman's bedroom door, his eager feeling was beginning to turn into an anxious one. He didn't know if Roman even wanted to see him or if he would be mad at him for not trying to comfort him sooner. But with a small shake of his head, Virgil moved the crown behind his back. He couldn't guess how Roman would react, and while that did scare him, he could only hope that Roman let him in and accept his gift.

Slowly, Virgil raised a hand to the door and knocked. After a second of silence, he knocked again. "Ro'," He said upon still not getting a response. "Hey, Princey, it's me. I know you're inside."

Roman didn't respond, but Virgil heard him moving around inside and soon the door opened just a crack. "Hey, Virge… Um, you need something?" Though Virgil could only see a sliver of Roman's face, he could see how pale his skin looked. His voice sounded tired, but not in the tired way a voice sounded when someone just woke up. But in the tired way someone sounded when they were sick of being up.

"I need to talk to you," Virgil said slowly, still keeping the crown hidden behind his back.

"Well, see," Roman hesitated, casting a nervous glance back into his bedroom. "I haven't been feeling really well lately…" He opened the door a bit more, "And- I'm not mad at you or anything, but I'd just prefer to be alone right now. You understand, right?"

Virgil put his hand on the door and moved his foot to the threshold so that even if Roman tried to shut it he wouldn't be able to. "Roman, I gave you a week to be alone. It's time you talked to me. You can't just shut yourself in your room and expect all your problems to go away."

"And how would you know?" Asked Roman quickly.

"Because I've done it myself, I know it doesn't work. Now  _ let me in." _

For a moment, Roman only looked at Virgil in surprise. Then he stepped away from the door. "Fine." He mumbled.

With a relieved sigh, Virgil pushed open the door and entered Roman's room. The place was a mess. His eyes found Roman on his bed while he shut the door and his breath momentarily left him. Roman's hair was a mess of tangles and a few fuzzballs. He looked even paller now that Virgil was looking at him properly and the excited shine that was usually in his eyes was gone. He was in his pajamas and it looked like they were the only thing he had been wearing the past week.

Seeing Roman in such a way hurt Virgil. His mind went blank just looking at him and he couldn't help but stare.

"Yes-" Roman began, annoyed. "I get it, I look unbecoming for a prince.  _ I know."  _ He sighed, burying his face in his hands. "I've just- I've been going through a bumpy patch in the road, you know how it is."

For a moment, Virgil stood by the door, unsure of what to do. Then he took a few slow steps towards Roman and sat beside him on the bed. He was careful to keep the crown concealed so that Roman wouldn't be able to see it. "Ro'-" He said slowly, reaching out to put his hand on Roman's shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me what happened?" He whispered.

Quickly, Roman looked up. "You found out?" He asked, his voice cracking.

Virgil nodded. "I was sick of not knowing, I thought someone would tell me eventually but-" He looked away, feeling his anger at Patton rise again. He pushed that anger down and shook his head, "I found out." He looked back at Roman. "And it's why you've been hiding away, isn't it?"

Roman could only nod softly.

Virgil bit his lip, "Roman, what Janus said about you isn't true. I don't know why you would ever take anything he says with more than a grain of salt. He- he's a  _ liar." _

"But what if he's not, Virgil?" Roman asked, sitting up. "If he can tell the  _ truth  _ of when I made the wrong choice about going to the wedding, or when Patton is being too much, then why can't he be right about me?" He put his hand over his chest and closed his eyes tightly. "Why- what if he's right and I'm just  _ worthless? _ "

Virgil felt his heart break in his chest. "You're _ not _ worthless, Roman! You're anything but- you're… you're…" He shook his head, struggling for words. But then he remembered the crown behind his back and brought it out. In a split second, he put the crown on Roman's head and grabbed his hands. "You're my hero, Roman. And I love you."

Roman's eyes were full of tears when he opened them again. He looked at Virgil, then at their joined hands. He was quiet as he slowly removed his hands from Virgil's grasp and took off the paper crown. He stared at it and then in a second, tears were streaming down his face and he had his arms wrapped around Virgil's neck in a death grip and sobbing into his boyfriend's shoulder. "Virgil, I-I!" He sobbed, unable to even form a complete sentence with how hard he was crying.

Virgil wrapped his arms tightly around Roman and held him as close as he could.  _ "It's okay,"  _ He closed his eyes to avoid crying himself. "Roman- I love you... okay?" He managed after a minute. "Don't let someone else make you question your worth when you're already amazing." He rasped with the grip Roman had around his neck.

Slowly, Roman removed his face from Virgil's shoulder. He was still crying, but not as much as before. "I was such a-a fool." He gasped, attempting to gain control of his breathing again. He loosened his hold on Virgil's neck. "I always let that damned snake get to me and now- no one… no one cares about what he does, or how he makes me feel!"

While gently pressing his forehead to Roman's, Virgil whispered, "I care. I care, okay?" He took one of his hands off of Roman's back and began to wipe the tears from his face. "I care about you and how you feel. That's why I'm here."

Averting his eyes from Virgil's, Roman bit his lip. "I should have told you sooner."

Though Virgil agreed with that statement, he didn't say that. "It's hard to tell people when you're hurting…" He shrugged softly, "Especially when we care about those people. But… Roman,  _ please  _ don't hide yourself away like this again when you feel like this. If you think I'm just going to let you feel like shit and not care, then you're dating the wrong guy for that."

The smallest of smiles creeped onto Roman's lips. "I think I'm dating just the right guy…" He unwrapped one of his arms from around Virgil's neck, and in his hand he held the crown Virgil made him. He slowly put the crown on Virgil's head. "I'm dating a perfect hero of a man who I should've told how I was feeling sooner…" He cupped Virgil's cheek, "Thank you, Virgil…"

Virgil's face screwed up in confusion, "For… what?"

"For coming in here and making me realize how stupid I was being, and for making me feel better." Sighed Roman. "I mean- I still don't feel a hundred percent better, but I think with you here I can manage." His smile grew, "So, thanks."

"I mean, I would be a pretty shit boyfriend if I didn't do all that." Virgil gently kissed Roman's lips. "And I could only hope you'd do the same for me, right?"

"I would be  _ far _ more forceful than you," Roman kissed Virgil back. "But let's hope you never find yourself in my pathetic state…. I love you."

"I love you too." And then Virgil took the crown off of his head and put it where it rightfully belonged on Roman's head. "My hero."

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why all my writing has been subpar lately. I've just been... not into anything I've been creating? Man, this sucks.
> 
> Comments are very much appreciated!!!


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